Weekend Buff

State Of Play (2009)

State of Play is not quite a cop film; it’s more of a reporter story. There are multiple homicides and the police are working their case, but the investigation is mostly seen through the eyes of a journalist.

I thought the movie fit our weekend buff criteria because of the criminal angle and due to the fact that the story is timely for our current political environment. It revolves around the military industrial complex and political corruption, two of the biggest issues confronting America today.

I had never seen State of Play before this week, and didn’t recall its existence, but nevertheless found the story compelling. I don’t know how I missed it.

State of Play is set in Washington DC, a.k.a The Swamp, a wretched hive of scum and villainy. A mysterious figure shoots two people on a dark street; a woman is seemingly pushed (or perhaps jumps) in front of a train. Neither the connection between the two events, nor the motives are immediately clear, but Detective Donald Bell of the Metro Police is working the crime scene and starting his investigation. Washington Globe reporter Cal McAffrey arrives and immediately starts asking questions, much to the indignation of Bell.

Any cop can tell you the groans that arise at an active crime scene when the press shows up - everything just got harder. Another thing to deal with. That’s not to say that media attention can’t help, it often leads to tips critical to solving a case - but not right now, we have work to do! Detective Bureau bosses would call DCPI (the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information) to let them know and hope some patrol cop doesn’t give out any information (or misinformation) that we don’t want out there. An hour later, Chiefs you rarely heard from would be calling for every detail and asking if the case was solved yet. But if the media attention helps solve the case, it’s well worth the headaches.

But I digress - McAffrey learns that the victims are linked to his friend, army veteran and newly minted Congressman Stephen Collins. McAffrey starting pulling strings and finds that PointCorp, a powerful and secretive defense contractor, has it out for Congressman Collins, as Collins is spearheading an investigation into their fraud, political corruption, and push for endless wars (sound familiar?).

McAffrey and his fellow reporter, Della Frey, work their story, hiding information from the police and their editor, hoping to find the facts that would sink PointCorp.

Naturally, the cops and the reporters are at odds. Detective Bell wants to solve his murders. The journalists want their big story, which is quickly morphing into a Quixotic quest to change Washington.

Deadlines, dollars and cents, journalistic competition, political corruption, and big-money influence are stymieing their efforts.

The film is based on the successful British television show, State of Play. Director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, Marley) assembles an all star cast for this political thriller. Russell Crowe is great as Cal McAffrey, a man on a mission who is not afraid to use guile and intimidation to get his story. Rachel McAdams is a bit bland as his fellow reporter, Della Frey, but the role requires a lower tone. Ben Affleck is solid as Congressman Collins, a seemingly idealistic crusader. Supporting actors include Harry Lennix as Detective Donald Bell, Jason Bateman, who is great as sleazy PR man and fixer Dominic Foy, Jeff Daniels as corrupt Congressman George Fergus, Helen Mirren as editor Cameron Lynne, and Robin Wright as Anne Collins.

The movie’s plot is relevant to our current social and political environment, essentially detailing the investigation into a conspiracy theory around the military industrial complex and DC corruption. With wild conspiracy theories (too many of which are likely true) dominating our discourse, this movie is right on target 17 years later.

Unfortunately, today’s deep state and political corruption investigations just remain conspiracy theories. Never proven or disproven, they hang in limbo with America never learning the truth. Like Fauci’s 5th Amendment scam, the Russian Collusion plot, or Joe Biden’s autopen presidency, we never get the whole story and no one is held accountable.

But this is Hollywood! This conspiracy must be taken down before the credits roll. The bad guys go to jail and America is once again the home of the free and land of the brave. Right? You’ll have to watch to find out.

This film is a good combination of suspense, action, and drama, while not taking sides on Republican vs Democrat. No doubt the Hollywood of today would ironically politicize this political thriller, carefully outlining the political leanings of the bad guys while sprinkling in some woke morality.

State of Play runs a little more than two hours. You can catch the movie for free on YouTube. You’ll have to put the phone down and pay attention while watching, there are a lot of twists and subtle lines critical to understanding the plot. I feel that Kevin Macdonald meticulously fashioned an underrated masterpiece here, and hope you enjoy it.

Thanks for reading The Ops Desk. Stay Safe!